Tension device for sewing-machines



(No Model.)

F. MEYER, J. FALGETTI & J. G. HARDER. TENSION DEVICE FOR SEWING MAGHINESQ No. 374,986. Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

. Wilnessw. [flue/Zions,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED MEYER, JOHN FALOEIII, AND, JOHN G. HARDER, OF BELLEVILL'E, ILLINOIS.

TENSION DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,986, dated December 20,1887. Application filed May 23, 1887. Serial No. 239,105. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRED MEYER, JOHN FALGETTI, and JOHN C. HARDER, citizens of the United States, residing at Belleville, in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Tensions and Automatic Bobbin-finders; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,which formapart of this specification.

The special object of theinvention is to improve that class of sewing-machine tensions in which the pressure is brought to bear on the spool rather than upon the thread.

The invention will first be described in connection with the drawings, and then pointed out in the claim. 7

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation, Fig. 2 an end elevation, and Fig. 3 a detail View, of the spring.

In the drawings, A represents our U- shaped attachment, which has a median hole, a, passing also through the tubular flange a. In this tube is made, at right angles thereto, the hole (0, whose wall is threaded to receive the screw B, that fastens the attachment to the spool-holder of a sewing-machine.

0 represents an end-threaded pintle which passes through a hole near the end of one arm, A, of the attachment and screws into the other arm, A", so that the spool may turn thereon until its thread has been used and then be easily replaced by another.

D E are two draw-screws, which work in opposite sides of the attachment, pass through the U-spring F, and carry a washer, G, so that the spring-arms ff may press with greater or less power on the spool, which is situated on the pintle G and between the ends of spring F. The latter has two slots or large holes, ff, near the ends of the arms f, to allow the passage of the pintle therethrough.

The curved part f of the spring is held down in the corresponding part of the attachment by the screws H I, which pass through both the attachment and the spring, being then upset on the end or provided with an end washer.

In our attachment the U-shaped frame A has its vertical opening for the spool'pintle of the sewing-machine in a plane at right angles to that of our spindle, while the U- shaped spring in the spool holder is provided with means for controlling the pressnre upon the spool at each end. We are thus enabled to regulate the thread-tension for sewing purposes. By making the device adjust-able the thread may be easily filled from the supply-spool upon shuttle-bobbins held in the ordinary bobbin-winder attachment for sewing-machines.

It will thus be perceived that our attachment furnishes a tension for the upper thread of a sewing-machine by placing the tension on the spool holding the thread, and not on the thread itself, gives a more regular and uniform tension, prevents all slack thread between the spool-holder and the needle, and enables the operator of the sewing-machine to make a more even and uniform stitch, and by adjusting our attachment so that the spool of thread is parallel with the bobbin in the bobbin-winder of a sewing-machine it forms an automatic bobbin-winder.

Having thus described all that is necessary to a full understanding of our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is.

The combination, with a spool-holder, a spool-attachment spindle, and the U'shaped frame A, having the vertical opening therein for the passage of the spool-pin of the sewing-machine, the said opening being in a plane at right angles to that of the attachment-spindle, of the U-shaped spring F, adjustably held in said holder and having means for controlling the pressure at each end upon the spool, whereby the threadtensioumay be adjusted for sewing purposes, and whereby the device may be ad 5 justecl so that thread may be easily filled from the supply-spool upon shuttle-bobbins held in the ordinary bobbin-winder attachment for sewing-machines.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRED MEYER. JOHN FALOETTI. JOHN G. HARDER. Witnesses:

.ToI-IN BUX, GEo. F. \VAUGELIN. 

